The present invention relates generally to portable structures, include a portable metal frame, and more particularly to sporting enclosures to include batting cages.
Portable shelters including expandable metal frames covered by flexible fabric have been known for many years and include camping and other related lawn tents. These structures are very portable and easy to erect, however, they are limited in size and structural integrity. Larger tents and awnings provide the necessary structural stability but require supporting members of substantial weight which are commonly supported by guy wires secured from stakes driven into the ground. This makes these structures more difficult to erect, less portable and unsuitable for certain applications. A need therefore exists for a structure which includes an expandable frame which is portable yet provides the requisite structural integrity.
Sporting structures such as batting cages have become an essential training apparatus for the competitive athlete. Such structures allow batting and/or throwing practice without the necessity of another person to throw or catch the ball. In order for an athlete to remain competitive, that athlete must practice hitting and/or throwing on a regimented basis.
When a baseball team is traveling, such as for a tournament or post-season series, it is often difficult to schedule sufficient time in the hosting venues facilities to maintain top competitive form. Traditional batting cages are not structures conducive to portable transport. The above-described problems are not unique to baseball. Other sports such as softball, golf, and hockey have similar difficulties.
The art contains some disclosures of sports enclosures which are represented to be portable, however, they are found to be cumbersome, heavy and difficult to set up and take down. A need therefore exists for a portable structure for use in sports training which is compact for storage or transport yet can be expanded so as to be efficient for a competitive training regimen.
A portable structure for defining an enclosed sports apparatus, shelter structure, or to create booths for festival use, such as arts festivals is herein described. The portable structure of the present invention includes, most generally, an expansion section which is comprised of numerous component expansion segments, each of which is expanded and collapsed independently of the others. The segmented form allows the entire expansion section to be expanded or collapsed without dismantling the structure or any of the component expansion segments.
Each expansion segment includes adjacent upright members with at least one articulating arm extending therebetween. Each articulating arm is capable of pivoting at an elbow and with respect to the upright member such that when the portable structure is expanded and one upright member extended from its adjacent upright member, each articulating arm pivots at the elbow and with regard to each upright member in a scissor type motion so as to expand to a maximum length wherein each articulating arm is substantially horizontal and pivotally supported by an upright member on each end. The component expansion segments are sequentially expanded to the maximum length of the portable structure. Once the expansion section is completely extended, the structure is further supported using an outrigger extending from each upright member. The upright members are then expanded horizontally and then vertically and locked in the proper width and height positions. In order to retract or collapse the expansion section, the process is performed in reverse order to again collapse the portable structure to its transport/storage state.
The portable structure includes three positions, a transport position wherein large transport wheels (or skids) are employed for ease of maneuverability of the entire collapsed structure. A second position is an expansion position wherein a plurality of smaller wheels secured to each upright member are used to extend the component expansion segments. A third position is the structural position wherein the smaller wheels are removed and the device rests on the ground providing structural integrity without the use of stakes or other such devices.
The portable structure may also include a storage container into which an outer netting or fabric covering may be stored for extension over the entire expanded extension section and secured thereon to achieve an enclosed structure. A folding platform may also be stored within the storage container and then folded out or extended.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a portable structure which collapses to a compact size for storage or transport and expands to a size suitable for shelter and/or sports applications.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable structure which is self contained.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a portable structure which may be expanded or collapsed without dismantling the structure.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide a portable structure which is expanded on a segmented basis.
It is another object of the present invention to expand the segmented sections using articulating arms in a scissor-type motion.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a portable structure which includes a transport position, expansion position, and structural position.